Why, for as long as I can remember, have I been using arrowroot instead of cornstarch to thicken the sauces in my Chinese cooking?

During my hippie-food days when all sorts of roots were fashionable, I'm sure I read somewhere that arrowroot was a healthier alternative. Honestly, though, until I sat down to write about it, I couldn't have told you whether it is a root, and whether it's the root of an arrow or a root shaped like an arrow. And yet, there it is, always on my spice rack.

Arrowroot is, in fact, a powder made from the ground root of a Marantha arundinacea, a plant indigenous to the West Indies. The starch is extracted from rhizomes that have been growing for 6-12 months. My favorite explanation of how arrowroot got its name is that the Arawak Indians (who called it aru aru, meaning "food of food") used the starch to draw out the toxins from wounds made by poison arrows.

Considered easier on the stomach than other forms of starch, arrowroot contains calcium and carbohydrates (less than in cornstarch) as well as other nutrients, making it an effective digestive and nutrition aid. In fact, in my supermarket, arrowroot biscuit packaging now features happy, smiling babies on the box.

Here in the kitchen there are several advantages to using arrowroot.

First, it's a more powerful thickening agent than wheat flour. Substitute two teaspoons of arrowroot for one tablespoon of all-purpose flour. Half a tablespoon of cornstarch will give the same thickening power. I usually substitute one-for-one in recipes calling for cornstarch.

Second, arrowroot is flavorless and becomes clear when cooked. Unlike cornstarch, it doesn't taste like chalk when undercooked, and it doesn't dull the appearance of sauces, fruit gels or ice cream.

Third, arrowroot mixtures thicken at a lower temperature than mixtures made with flour or cornstarch, making it ideal for delicate sauces. Like cornstarch, arrowroot should be mixed thoroughly with a cold liquid before being added to hot mixtures.

Curried chicken wontons

Without the invention of store-bought dumpling wrappers, these would be impossibly complicated to make. But they're really very quick to assemble and cook, and they can be frozen weeks ahead of time. Just pop them into a hot oven for 10-12 minutes to crisp. Makes approximately 40 wontons.

Heat remaining oil in wok. Fill a dumpling wrapper (These can be either rectangular or triangular, or half-moon shaped if you're using round wonton skins.) with 1 tsp chicken mixture, placed in the center; paint the edges of the wrappers with water, fold wrapper in half, and press to seal. Fry 4-5 at a time for two minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and serve with plum sauce or hoisin for dipping.

I'm afraid when I think of arrowroot, I think of the Wodehouse anti-hero whose mother nagged him to have his bowl of arrowroot each evening - and wear woolen underwear - and get at least ten hours of sleep a night...

I use arrowroot a lot in my personal cooking. I rarely post about in my blog because most people don't have it regularly. In addition to the lower temperature to thicken, one of the biggest reasons I like it is that I feel like it has a less of a gummy flavor and I actually think you can use about half of it for the same results. Don't lock me down on that but I actually dial it down quite a bit when I use it. I love the wanton recipe. I'm a big fan of them.

I've always known of Arrowroot biscuits. They must have been around forever. Here's the ingredient list for Nabisco's Arrowroot Biscuits. HFCS shows up again! and before Arrrowroot. They use corn starch too. Is arrowroot flour the same as what's in the Penzeys jar?

Husband, welcome to The Perfect Pantry. I agree that arrowroot has a cleaner flavor than cornstarch -- at least it seems so, to me.

Tom, thank you! I never realized that about the leavening, but for those who observe Passover dietary laws, this is a great thing to know about arrowroot.

Pam, give it a try and let us know how you like it. I do think you'll be able to tell the difference.

Patricia, now I have to find a recipe for sequilhos. I wonder, are they like Mexican wedding cookies or the Greek cookies (I can't remember the name now)? I'm learning so many fascinating recipes for Brazilian cooking from you and your wonderful blog.

Rupert, this is downright scary about the arrowroot biscuits. Why, I wonder, do we feed them to kids???? Yes, arrowroot flour and the arrowroot from Penzeys are one and the same. Many older cookbooks call for arrowroot "flour", so I had to look up the answer to be sure!

I usually use arrowroot instead of cornstarch for my slurries---but there's really no reason to use a slurry to thicken a stew! Instead, start the stew by browning your potatoes and then the potatoes will thicken the stew as they simmer and break down.

Veron, I admit I'm a somewhat approximate cook, so the one-to-one substitution works for me. See Husband's comment, above -- he's a chef.

Jesse, you're right about thickening stews with potatoes. But for stews that don't have potatoes or another starchy vegetable, sometimes you need to give them a helping hand with a slurry. Arrowroot mixed with a bit of cold water always does the trick, without making the stew gummy.

Bea, I've never tried this, but I think arrowroot is supposed to be wonderful in ice creams and pastries. I'll be watching your gorgeous blog to see if arrowroot makes an appearance in the future!

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter parchment paper or cut
up brown paper grocery bags and butter the side withoutprinting. Beat whites until stiff peaks form- beat in salt, vanilla and arrowroot powder- fold in maple syrup- fold in coconut.
Drop in spoonfuls onto parchment paper covered cookie sheets.
Bake for 45 min to an hour, depending on what sweetener you used (honey will brown faster) cookies should be dry and barely
touched with golden brown. Let cool completely before removing from paper. Makes ~ 2 dozen, depending on how many you eat before you count them and how big you make the cookies!
-----------------------
Arrowroot Cookies

Hi Lydia, thanks for tagging cumin and coriander on the MeMe post, I got bagged and tagged *lol* By the way, you have used arrowroot starch, that is great !! Yessss, I've forgotten about this particular chinese new year cookies my mom used to make that uses arrowroot flour, its flaky, tasty and yummy !! Thanks for sharing, cheers ! :)

Wow, I never realized all the different uses of arrowroot. All I knew of it was those plain arrowroot biscuits that I was given as a kid when I was sick.
Lydia, the banner is super-cute, I just noticed it!

John, welcome to The Perfect Pantry. I'm going to make my best guess here and say that the arrowroot should work; it definitely will be stable once it's cooked into the simple syrup. An advantage to arrowroot is that it is a clear thickener. But in a nut sauce for ice cream? I just don't have any experience with using it that way.

Pantry readers, if you can advise on this, please leave a comment here. Thanks!

I've used arrowroot as a substitute for cornstarch for gravies, sauces etc. but I am wondering if it can be utilized w/o cooking?
I'd like to make my own "powdered" sugar and since powdered surgar is a blend of cornstarch and sugar I am wondering if I can make my own preferably using a non-calorie sugar such as splenda for low-cal icings, candies, etc. Anyone know if arrowroot must be cooked? Thanks

My mind has just been blown! I found this entry when I googled "arrowroot" after a new cookbook called for its use in all its vinaigrettes. This just might win the award for coolest ingredient I've never heard of! And your explanation, by the way, was way better than wikipedia's. :) Thank you!

Sarah, welcome back to The Perfect Pantry. So glad you found what you needed here. Arrowroot is one of those ingredients you'll get used to working with, and you'll never go back to cornstarch. (I haven't written about cornstarch here, yet, because I can't find my jar of it on the pantry shelf! The arrowroot is always up front.)

Thanks for this article on arrow root to be used as a thickener in curries ....I just tried it as I had run out of cornflower and it does work a treat ..I always thought that arrow root was only used to thicken sweet puddings and such like .

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Welcome to The Perfect Pantry®

My name is Lydia Walshin. From my tiny kitchen in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood, I share recipes that use what we keep in our pantries, the usual and not-so-usual ingredients that spice up our lives. Thanks so much for visiting.